MUMBAI: India.com, a Zee Entertainment initiative, launched in the United States with a big Bollywood fanfare at the 33rd annual India Day Parade in New York City. The parade which is the largest gathering of the Indian community outside India, had more than 150,000 footfalls.
India.com built a 70ft replica of the Red Fort, aka "Lal Qila". The Red Fort is the 255-acre complex in New Delhi built in the 17th century by Mogul emperor Shah Jahan, who also built the Taj Mahal. Every 15 August on Independence Day, the Red Fort is the chosen location where the Prime Minister of India hoists the country's flag and delivers a national speech from its ramparts to a loud and proud crowd.
Inside the fort, a royal red carpet welcomed the enthusiastic crowd and invited them to sign up for a new @india.com email ID. There were more than 40 Macintosh computers laid out on a glass table. The inside walls of the fort were decorated with images that defined India.com. After registration, people went home with fun India.com freebies.
India.com is a new online platform for everything Indian in an instant - from breaking news, business, and Bollywood to sports, travel and free classifieds. The website combines these one-of-a-kind features with an e-mail portal that will keep you connected. India.com launched in India back in 2011 and has since gained 28 million unique users making it one of the fastest growing portals.
Other highlights of the parade included marching bands, over 40 floats, 100 food vendors, and the presence of famous Bollywood actress Vidya Balan and anti-graft crusader, Anna Hazare.
Zee America GM Sameer Targe said, "The timing of our launch in North America could not have been any better. India Day Parade, which celebrates India's Independence Day, by any measure, is the biggest, most vibrant south Asian event that happens on the east coast. We had a tremendous response for the site. India.com is customised for the south Asian diaspora and the Indophile segment. It was about time someone catered to the real needs of the Indian-American digital consumer."
